Vaux's Swift - BirdForum Opus

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Photo by Glen Tepke
Santa Cruz, California, USA, July 2006

Chaetura vauxi

Identification

10.7 to 11.2 cm

• Dusky black head, upperparts and wings
• Grey brown underparts, rump and tail coverts
• Paler grey throat (whiter in northern birds)
  

Sexes similar Juveniles: dusky bases to the throat feathers

Distribution

North, Central and South America
North America: Canada, British Columbia, Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah and Washington
Central America: Mexico, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
South America: Venezuela

Taxonomy

C. v. andrei is now again regarded as full species, Ashy-tailed Swift.

Subspecies^[1]

Six subspecies are recognized:

• C. v. vauxi:

• Locally from south-eastern Alaska to south-western US; winters to Guatemala

• C. v. gaumeri:

• South-eastern Mexico (Yucatán Peninsula) and Cozumel Island

• C. v. tamaulipensis:

• Eastern Mexico (south-western Tamaulípas and south-eastern San Luis Potosí)

• C. v. richmondi:

• Southern Mexico to Costa Rica and extreme western Panama (Chiriquí)

• C. v. ochropygia:

• Eastern Panama

• C. v. aphanes

• Northern Venezuela (coastal ranges, from Lara and Yaracuy east to Sucre and Monagas)

An additional subspecies warneri is generally considered invalid^[1].

Habitat

Mountains and foothills, mainly above 700 m, forests and towns.

Behaviour

Breeding

The cup-shaped twiggy nest is built in a tree hole or cliff crevice. The clutch consists of 3 white eggs.

Diet

Includes flying insects, such as beetles, wasps, termites and flying ants.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Vaux's Swift. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Vaux%27s_Swift

External Links

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